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Meditation
What's it all about?
What is meditation?
By definition, meditation refers to any form of practice where a person trains their mind to focus and to enter a deep sense of relaxation and concentration. When a person meditates, the mind is said to be relaxed, yet focused, at the same time.
Meditation has been around since ancient times and there is even evidence of it in hunter gatherer societies. It has also long been a part of religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
Meditation started to gain popularity in the West in the 60s and has been popular in western society ever since. Many people associate meditation with monks and monasteries, and some people do indeed practice it as part of their religion, but in the western world it is more often used for stress reduction and relaxation in a secular (non religious) way.
In term of religious meditation, it is practiced as part of various religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and even Catholicism. Apparently, Padro Pio was a big believer in Christian meditation!
There are different types of meditation such as transcendental meditation and mindfulness.
The chief aim of meditation is to focus the mind and to drown out internal chatter, worries and wandering thoughts. Our mind is constantly active and thinking, so meditation aims to quiet it for a bit. This clearing out of the mind seems to help with stress relief.
Why bother with it?
There are tons of benefits to meditation:
- People who regularity practice it state that they feel more relaxed and positive in general.
- It specifically helps with stress reduction.
- Studies have shown that it can help to reduce blood pressure, which is very helpful for heart health.
- Studies have shown that it can help to improve the immune system.
- It has even been proven to help with pain control. Since pain medications have side effects, mediation is a great tool for pain control.
How to do it?
- Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time and practice to get a handle on meditation.
- Practice mediation in a quiet and comfortable room.
- Make sure you are in a relaxed space where you won’t be interrupted.
- Some people like to light incense or candles to add to the atmosphere. This isn’t necessary though.
- Pick something to focus on, whether it is your breathing, a specific object in the room or a word/phrase you say (this is called a mantra).
- It’s natural for thoughts of tomorrow’s shopping list or a forthcoming exam to come into your mind. Don’t stress about it; just let these thoughts float by and then return to your point of focus.
How to learn it
If you would like to perfect your technique, there are several courses and classes available nationwide.
- Tm-Ireland runs meditation courses.
- Rigpa runs courses in Athlone, Cork, Dublin, Limerick and their Dzogchen Bearam retreat centre in West Cork.
- If you are interested in Buddhism and/or don’t mind religious overtones, you may be interested in the courses on offer at the Dublin Buddhist Centre.
- If you would like private instruction, you can find a list of teachers at holisto.com.
- There are many books, tapes and DVDs available on the subject of meditation. Taking a class of some kind may be more helpful at first however.
Further Information
www.tm-ireland.org
meditateinireland.com
